After earning my PhD in Money and Financial Markets from Columbia University (New York) in March 1986, I worked briefly for Shearson Lehman Brothers as a research analyst. However, I was soon tired of 70-hour work weeks and longed to be my own boss. I left Shearson to join Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago as Assistant Professor of Finance in January 1987. 

 

It was here that I taught myself the practical (as opposed to theoretical) side of trading financial futures. I learned about risk management by losing my own money in the school of hard knocks. In retrospect, this was the best education I ever got for my future success as a trader. I went on to write a book titled, “Money Management for Futures Traders”, published by John Wiley & Sons in 1992. This book was translated first into German and later into Chinese, and got me some notoriety in the area of dynamic trading systems design and risk management. It opened multiple doors for consulting opportunities with banks and hedge funds. 

 

I was also sought out by attorneys to help them in several investment related legal cases, appearing as an expert witness on behalf of clients who had lost substantial sums of money. All this kept me very busy, so much so that I decided to take early retirement as Emeritus Professor of Finance in 2014. Since then, I have devoted all my energies to developing computerised algorithms for trading the stock index and currency markets. I no longer trade for myself, but still love to see my clients make money through the use of my algorithms. 

 

Despite a hectic work schedule, I make time each day to be thankful to God for the many blessings He has showered upon me and my wife. I look forward to our annual trip to Mumbai each year-end, as this allows me to re-charge my spiritual batteries. Unlike my wife, Varnan, I am a recluse and shy away from getting together with large groups of school or college friends. Instead, I love to spend long hours meditating in each of the 50 odd fire temples in Mumbai and Gujarat, while my wife enjoys meeting up with her friends. I am so sad at the end of each of our month-long trips to Mumbai.